# Image vs Container — Docker Fundamentals: Images, Containers and Compose

Source: https://www.skillbyai.com/en/docker/docker-image-vs-container

> Understand an image as a read-only blueprint and a container as a running instance, like a class and an object.

## Two different things

An **image** is a read-only template — your app's filesystem, dependencies, and startup command frozen in layers. A **container** is a running (or stopped) instance created from an image, with its own writable layer.

## Class vs object

If you know OOP: an **image** is like a class, and a **container** is like an object created from it. You can spin up many containers from the same image.